Method of making platform shoes



Nov. 20, 1956 J. w. MORPHY 2,770,824

' METHOD OF MAKING PLATFORM SHOES Filed Oct. 12, 19531 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR. JOHN W. MORPHY BYWW Nov 20, 1956 J. w. MORPHY 2,770,824

METHOD OF MAKING PLATFORM SHOES Filed Oct. 12, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ""-""'"-w"| I 5:5: 1 ;llllllll" z'f 13 I I 2 JOHN W. M ORPHY FIG. :2. v W

United States Patent METHOD OF. MAKING PLATFORM SHOES John W. Morphy, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Hamilton Shoe Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application October 12, 1953, Serial No. 385,549

1 Claim. (Cl. 12-142) ment of the platform cover, and is then returned to the lasting room for relasting. Obviously the removal of the lasted upper for attachment of the platform cover and subsequent relasting is time consuming and costly, not only by reason of the labor involved in the relasting operations, but also involves a very substantial investment cost with respect to the large number of wooden lasts required to maintain a proper flow of production in a shoe manufacturing plant. Furthermore, in making certain styles of shoes, such as shoes with box toes, the upper is still somewhat fragile after the initial lasting operation and must be allowed to remain on the last for a relatively long period of time. In many shoe factories it is considered preferable to remove such shoes from the last more prematurely and run the risk of an appreciable increase in the number of rejects in seconds.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a type of platform shoe and methods of making the same in which relasting is obviated, thereby achieving substantial economy in cost of labor and materials, and considerably reducing the time consumed in manufacture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a platform shoe which is more tightly lasted around the toe, and, therefore, is of improved appearance.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a plan view of a platform cover forming a part of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a shoe upper forming a part of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view of an insole forming a part of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the shoe upper, platform cover and insole stitched together, illustrating the initial step of the shoemaking method of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper, insole and platform cover at the completion of the initial step of the shoemaking method of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper, insole and platform cover at the completion of the second step of the shoemaking method of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the lasted upper illus- 2,770,824 Patented Nov. 20, 1956 trating the third step of the shoemaking method of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 88 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the lasted upper, at the completion of the fourth step of the shoemaking method of the present invention; 1

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view of line 10-10 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a complete platform shoe constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention; and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 11.

Reviewing now in more detail and by reference character to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 1 designates an elongated platform cover, die-cut, or otherwise suitably formed from a section of upper stock or any other desired material, and centrally provided with a marginally projecting tab 2 having a series of notches 3 to facilitate conformation of the central portion of the platform cover to the curvature around the toe of the shoe which is being manufactured. 4 designates an upper which may be of any conventional pattern, although as shown, consists of a two-part assembly stitched together along the seam 5, and is provided around its toe portion with a marginally projecting arcuate flap 6. 7 designates an insole, which is shaped to conform to the upper 4, and is provided around its toe portion with a marginally projecting arcuate flap 8, which is of the same size and shape as, and is adapted to register with the flap 6. The upper 4 may be lined or unlined, depending upon the type of shoe that is being manufactured, and is conventionally seamed together at the heel, asis common practice in the sewing room of shoe factories. Thereupon the upper 4, the insole 7, and the platform cover 1, together with a conformed platform heel cover 9, are stitched together around their entire periphery by a line of stitches 10, but are left unstitched in the region of the overlying flaps 2, 6, and 8, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. The platform cover 1 is then pulled back away from the toe and the stitched upper placed upon the last L. The flaps 6, 8, are then marginally pulled over, or lasted, and adhesively secured together as shown in Figure 6 as at x.

Thereupon the loose toe portion of the platform cover 1 is pulled down so that the flap 2 is in peripherally registering overlying relation upon the flap 6 of the upper 4. Whereupon the flaps 2, 6, and 8 are stitched securely together by a line of stitches 11 as shown in Figure 7. The protruding or excess material from the combined flaps 2, 6, and 8 is then trimmed as close to the line of stitches 11 as is possible without impairing the structural strength of the seam, as best seen in Figure 9. It should be noted in this connection that the line of stitches 11 runs off at each end and overlaps the main line of stitches by which the upper 4, insole 7, platform covers 1 and 9 are primarily stitched as best seen in Figure 10. The lasted upper, as shown in Figure 9, is then conventionally finished by applying a suitable midsole 12,

pulling the platform covers 1 and 9 down around the periphery thereof and submitting an outer sole 13 thereto to form a finished shoe substantially shown in Figures 11 and 12.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the platform shoe may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The method of making a platform shoe which comprises providing an upper, an insole, and a platform cover, stitching the upper, the insole, and the platform cover together along; the. lateral; and; heelrportions'i of the shoe in the formation of a lateral fiangearoundsthe ball, shankl and heel portions of the shoe leaving] the portion around the toe of the shoe open. and; unstitched'; placing, the upper, insole, and,- platform coverin such stitched-together relatiionshipwupon a last, pulling back the platform cover in its unstitched region to expose the unstitched margins ofthe insole and upper, lasting such exposed unstitched margins of the insole and upper; adhesively securing the exposed: lasted margins. of the insole and toe portion together, thereupon stitching the loose, margin of the platform cover to the lasted margin of the upper and insole inthe region of the toe portion of the shoe in the provision of a forwardly projecting common flange, and trimming said lateral flange and lasted margin to form a continuous marginal flange of substantially uniform width around the joined upper, insole, and platform cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED: STATES PATENTS 2,391,437 Moskowitz et a1. Dec. 25v 1945 2,438,821 Quinn Mar. 30, 1948 2,554,159 Stritter May 22, 1951 2,566,361 Barrelli n Sept. 4, 1951 

